Staff Scientist - World Model

About the Institute of Foundation Models We are a dedicated research lab for building, understanding, using, and risk-managing foundation models. Our mandate is to advance research, nurture the next generation of AI builders, and drive transformative contributions to a knowledge-driven economy. The Role You will own the end‑to‑end strategy, design and delivery of our general-purpose world modeling efforts. You’ll translate cutting‑edge research (e.g., the PAN framework) into robust, production‑ready simulators, guide a multidisciplinary team of engineers and scientists, and ensure alignment with IFM’s mission. Key Responsibilities Technical Leadership & Vision Define and evolve the overall world model architecture, drawing on the PAN principles: Multimodal data ingestion Mixed continuous/discrete representations Hierarchical generative modeling with an enhanced LLM backbone and diffusion‑based predictors Generative loss grounded in real observations Simulation for RL‑based agent training Establish performance, safety and evaluation benchmarks, driving continuous improvement. Project & Team Management Oversee planning, resourcing, and timeline for world model projects. Manage research engineers and scientists (e.g., data curators, RL experts, simulator devs) to achieve unified progress. Cross‑Functional Collaboration Partner with agent, reasoning, and deployment teams to integrate world model outputs into downstream applications (robotics, multi‑turn dialogue, autonomous systems). Liaise with external collaborators (academia & industry) to incorporate the latest advances and tooling. Governance & Communication Report project status, risks, and key insights to senior leadership and stakeholders. Champion best practices in reproducibility, documentation, and knowledge sharing. Required Qualifications Ph.D. or M.S. with 8+ years in AI research or engineering, specializing in world modeling, simulation, or generative modeling. Proven track record building large‑scale simulators or predictive models for complex environments. Deep expertise in transformer‑based LLMs, diffusion models, and hierarchical latent representations. Hands‑on experience with reinforcement learning frameworks (policy learning, planning with latent dynamics). Strong leadership skills: project management, cross‑site coordination, and team mentorship. Preferred Qualifications Experience leading multi‑location technical teams in fast‑paced R&D settings. Published contributions to world model architectures or simulation benchmarks. Track record of taking research prototypes into production systems. $300,000 - $600,000 a year Total compensation target: $300,000.00 – $600,000.00 per annum (inclusive of base salary and target bonus up to 30% of base salary), commensurate with experience. Visa Sponsorship This position is eligible for visa sponsorship. Benefits Include Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits Bonus 401K Plan Generous paid time off, sick leave and holidays Paid Parental Leave Employee Assistance Program Life insurance and disability #J-18808-Ljbffr Institute of Foundation Models